Café geared toward vegetarians

The Dandelion Deli and Café features fresh baked cookies, quiches, sandwiches and salads with great options for vegans and carnivores alike. Photo by Scott Barnett

For almost a year now my vegetarian friend Krystal has been bugging me to try Anthony’s Dandelion Deli and Café on Wells Avenue, a restaurant catered to vegetarians and vegans.
As a recovering vegetarian myself, I am not adverse to a good meat-free dish.  But my affinity for the stellar vegetarian/vegan haunt Pneumatic Diner had kept me from taking Krystal’s suggestion seriously for months.

Last Friday, I finally decided to give Dandelion a try. I planned on scoping it out with my sister before meeting Krystal for lunch on Saturday, only to discover that Dandelion is closed on weekends.  As such, I went big and decided to try several dishes at once, ensuring that I sample from both veggie dishes on the menu and from the few meat dishes they serve.

After placing our order of a turkey dip ($6.75), small Greek salad ($5.95), deli-style turkey sandwich ($6.05) and the day’s special, a falafel sandwich ($6.95), we took a seat at a small table in the center of the empty café. Between the wooden chairs and tables, multitude of quaint dandelion-themed décor and strings of patio lights, it felt a bit like waiting to eat lunch in your friend’s grandmother’s kitchen: a little unfamiliar but warm and welcoming.

Baskets full of bags of potato chips sat in front of the deli case, where pre-made salads and sandwiches were available for purchase.  A refrigerated drink case at the back of the restaurant was full of waters, teas and natural sodas.

The food arrived plated simply, the sandwiches accompanied only by one carrot stick, one celery stick and a sprig of parsley.  My turkey dip was served with an almost neon yellow turkey au jus.  Having only sampled the classic beef-based au jus, it was an odd sight to be confronted with.  It was then that my sister, Katy, noticed that the only meat this deli offers is of the fowl persuasion: chicken and turkey, no red meat.

The salty au jus added much needed flavor to the otherwise boring sandwich of Dutch bread and turkey.  The simple bread-with-meat combo works better with roast beef dips, and my sandwich was in need of some sort of dressing.  Katy’s deli sandwich was much tastier, full of flavor from the vinegar, oil, oregano and fresh veggies.  The Greek salad was also good, made with fresh greens, generous crumbles of feta, a light dressing and Greek olives.

The falafel special came in a whole wheat pita with chunks of cucumber and tomato and a messy and disastrous sauce.  The brown-yogurty mess was bland and did nothing to save a too-dry falafel.

The lunch ended on a high note, however, with a thick, chewy and soft vegan cookie ($1.65).  No meat-eater would have ever guessed the “chocolate” chip cookie wasn’t the real-deal.

Falafel disappointment aside, the meat and dairy-free dishes at Dandelion are generally worth a try.  But speaking as a carnivore, I think I’ll dine with my vegetarian compatriots elsewhere.

Anthony’s Dandelion Deli and Café
1170 S Wells Ave # 2 Reno, NV
Hours: Open Weekdays 7am-4pm; Sat 10am-4pm

Colleen Hagen can be contacted at editor@nevadasagebrush.com